


I Promise You Forever

by Stories_can_make_us_fly



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Boys In Love, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23392633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stories_can_make_us_fly/pseuds/Stories_can_make_us_fly
Summary: Enjoying themselves and spending time together – that was the whole point of their trip to the countryside. Who knew that it would turn out to be so much more than that?
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 10
Kudos: 64





	I Promise You Forever

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone,
> 
> I needed something to cheer me up with everything that’s going on right now and what’s better for that than some Ballum fluff?  
> This was supposed to be way shorter, but it kind of run away from me. I really like how it turned out in the end.
> 
> Btw, it’s my personal head canon that Callum secretly likes gardening and is a big fan of Love your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh. I recently discovered the show for myself and I absolutely love it and felt like Callum would, too. 
> 
> The story is set somewhere in the future where all the drama between them is resolved, Ben has had his operation and they are just happy and together.
> 
> Have fun reading and let me know what you think! :)

**I Promise You Forever**

  
  


Callum sat down on the bench with a content sigh. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this good. This happy. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and let the sun shine on his face. It was surprisingly warm for spring, even if there was the occasional day when it was still pretty chilly outside. But some higher entity had decided to sent a taste of the coming summer down to earth and thus had sweetened their short vacation to the countryside.

The sky was vivid blue with no clouds in sight, the sun shone bright, and birds were chirping in the trees. Some distance away, he could hear Lexi's excited giggles and Ben's voice calling out to her. A grin stretched across his face as he opened his eyes and saw Lexi kneeling at the edge of a small pond with Ben hovering anxiously behind her to make sure she wouldn't fall into the brackish water.

Contemplating to get up, Callum decided that his boyfriend would be fine on his own and closed his eyes again. He must've nodded off for a moment, because next thing he knew, Ben plopped down beside him.

"Love that girl to pieces, but she sure is a handful."

Callum blinked the drowsiness from his eyes and tried to focus on Ben, who grinned back at him.

"But I see I can always count on your support. Had a good nap?"

"Wasn't sleeping," Callum mumbled and blushed.

"'Course you weren't, babe," Ben laughed and pressed a kiss to his flaming red cheek.

Callum wasn't going to dignify that with an answer and just wrapped an arm around Ben, pulling his body closer to him. Ben rested his head on Callum's shoulder and together they watched Lexi play in a patch of wild flowers.

"Thanks for this," Ben whispered after awhile.

Callum turned his head slightly to look at him.

"For what?"

"Convincing me that we needed some time away. I hadn't realised how hectic everythin' was until we came here."

Callum kissed the top of his head.

"Anytime. And it's not like it's such a chore, innit? Can't think of anything better to do than go on vacation with my two favourite people."

"Plus, you finally got to visit this garden you've been dying to see for ages."

Spluttering, a blush spread over Callum's face again.

"Don't know what you mean."

Ben laughed and Callum felt the sound resonating in his body.

"You're too cute. I know that you've watched basically every garden show that's out there. And that you never miss an episode of Love Your Garden."

He looked up with a big grin on his face.

"Don't pretend that this place wasn't half the reason you wanted to come here."

Callum cast down his eyes abashedly.

"Not half the reason, maybe one-third," he mumbled. "It just looked so nice and Walford isn't really known for its gardening."

"True," Ben agreed with a chuckle. "And it is nice. What with all the different flowers and trees and bushes. Didn't know there was so many shades of green and so many different flowers. Like a painter poured all his colours over a canvas and mixed them up in all possible variations."

Callum was momentarily stunned before pressing his face against Ben's neck with a smile.

"Look at you, getting all poetic on me."

Now it was Ben's turn to blush.

"Must be your influence. Being with you makes me soppy."

Callum breathed in Ben's scent and kissed the soft skin behind his ear.

"That's not a bad thing, is it?"

He felt Ben shiver under his lips as Callum continued to press feather light kisses along his neck.

"No. No, it's not," he finally answered a bit breathless.

Callum put a hand on Ben's cheek and turned his head to face him. They looked each other in the eyes for a moment, loving smiles stretched across both their face. Eventually, Ben closed the distance between them and kissed Callum. Soft and sweet and full of love.

  
  


*~*~*~*

  
  


Callum couldn't say how long they sat there, wrapped around each other and losing themselves in their kiss. Could have been minutes or hours. And maybe they would've stayed like this for the rest of the day, if Lexi's impatient voice hadn't interrupted them.

"Daddy! Callum!" she shouted and pulled at Ben's sleeve.

Reluctantly, they broke their kiss and looked at her. Callum was a bit annoyed at himself for blushing again, but Ben didn't seem the least bit self-conscious about being caught. And really, Lexi had seen them kissing plenty of times and Callum knew that, although she found the whole concept of kissing extremely gross, she didn't mind seeing them kiss. Not unless she wanted something.

"What is it, princess?" Ben asked.

"I heard a lady talking and she said there is a bridge somewhere and she said it looks like from a fairytale and I want to see it, Daddy. Can we, please?"

Callum knew immediately which bridge she meant and was caught in her excitement.

"Yeah, I saw a picture of it. It really is pretty!"

"See? Callum thinks so, too. Let's go, Daddy," Lexi said and tugged at Ben again. Callum, who was on his feet already, held out a hand to Ben.

"Come on, shouldn't be far from here."

Ben looked at them both for a second before he burst out laughing.

"You two are unbelievable, you know that? If I'd known that a trip to a garden made you this excited, I would've carted you off to see one a long time ago."

But he did get up and took Callum's hand. Lexi grabbed hold of his other hand and marched off, pulling them behind her.

It didn't take them long to find the right place.

Callum couldn't help but stare in wonder at the scenery before him. There was a large pond with a small island in the middle. An iron bridge with an intricate design span over the water, connecting the island with the edge of the pond. Roses grew at the beginning and end of the bridge. Green grass stretched around the pond, only interrupted by beds of all kind of different flowers. And at the end of the island stood a gigantic weeping willow, her branches gently grazing the water. A pathway led from the bridge to the ancient tree, going through a huge archway before vanishing in the shadows of the tree trunk. Ivy and wild roses climbed up the archway, covering it right to the top.

"It's pretty, I'll give them that. But for a fairytale they need a Rapunzel Tower. At the least," Ben tried to joke, but Callum could hear in his voice that he was just as impressed as he was. Lexi on her part had gone completely silent, her eyes big and round. In awe of everything, she stared for a couple of seconds longer. Then, she let out a high pitched squeal before letting go of Ben's hand and running over the bridge.

"Stay away from the water!" Ben called after her. "And no climbing the tree!"

To Callum he said, "She's goin' to talk about this for ages."

"Can't blame her. Never seen somethin' so beautiful."

"I have," Ben told him and kept his eyes firmly trained on him. Callum blushed for what felt like the hundredth time today.

Instead of an answer, he pulled Ben close and kissed him.

"If I didn't already love you, I would fall in love with you all over again," he whispered against Ben's lips. Ben sent him a blinding smile and Callum's heart skipped a beat. God, he loved this man so much! He wanted to kiss him and hold him close and never let go. He tried to convey all of his feelings by squeezing Ben's hand as they went to look for Lexi. And judging by his smile, his boyfriend knew exactly what Callum couldn't put into words.

They found Lexi sitting under the archway, making a daisy chain. She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't even notice them. For a second, Callum thought about getting his phone out to snap a picture, but decided against it.

A picture would never do justice to this perfect moment with this perfect little girl that had become one of two of the most important people in his life.

Ben kneeled down beside his daughter.

"You having fun, princess?"

Lexi beamed at him.

"Yes!"

Callum could see that Ben hated what he had to say next.

"That's great. How about you finish that daisy chain and then we head back to the hotel, yeah?"

As they both could've predicted, Lexi protested vehemently.

"No! I wanna stay here! Please, Daddy!" she wailed. She sounded so heart broken that Callum was tempted to let her stay a bit longer. But Ben, better at the parenting stuff than he was, was adamant.

"Sorry, princess. But they're closing soon and then we have to stay here all night."

Lexi looked like she hadn't the slightest problem with that.

"And you know how easily Callum gets cold, don't you? Wouldn't want him to freeze out here."

Now it was Callum who wanted to protest vehemently, because that wasn't true at all!

But of course he didn't say anything, just shot Ben an admonishing look. Ben grinned at him and raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'You know it's true, so don't try to deny it.'

Callum huffed and turned the other way, causing Ben to chuckle under his breath.

While they had their silent conversation, Lexi resigned.

"Okay," she sighed and got to her feet. She looked at her daisy chain for a moment and, coming to a decision, she put it on Ben's head.

"Now you're pretty."

Ben blinked at her in surprise, a joke on his lips, but out loud he said, "Thank you, princess."

Lexi smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. After that she turned to Callum and raised her arms. Knowing what she wanted without her having to ask, Callum lifted her up and sat her on his shoulders. She wrapped his arms around his head and, sharing a smile with Ben, they made their way back through the garden.

  
  


*~*~*~*

  
  


By the time they reached the entrance Lexi was no longer sad and talked excitedly about all the things she had seen today.

"But the best was the island and the tree," was the conclusion she came to. "When I grow up, I want to live there. It was so pretty!"

Before either Ben or Callum could say something to that, a voice nearby chipped in, "I'm happy you enjoyed your visit."

A bit startled, they turned around.

The elderly woman, who had sold them their tickets, had heard what Lexi had said and stepped closer to them.

"I hope you recommend us to your friends and family."

"Oh, definitely. It's truly amazing what you did here."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Callum could see Ben's sceptical look. Not that Ben didn't agree with him, but he clearly doubted that anyone they knew would enjoy it as much as they had. And Callum knew he was right. Visiting English country gardens wasn't especially high on the list of weekend activities for Walford's residents. But he wouldn't admit that in front of the nice lady, who was only doing her job.

"Thank you. We're working very hard to keep the place going. You should've seen it when we started. All barren land and dried grass. But with hard work and a bit of time and dedication we managed to create this little haven," she continued as if she still had to convince Callum of its beauty.

Lexi seemed to be struck with an idea. Twisting her body around to look at Ben and coming dangerously close to falling off of Callum's shoulders, she asked excitedly, "Daddy, can we make something like this at home?"

They all laughed and Ben plucked the daisy chain from his head to place it on Lexi.

"Sorry, princess. Afraid not. We don't got the space for it."

Lexi pouted and rested her chin on Callum's head.

"Not fair," she grumbled.

"Well, maybe you can't have it at home, but you can come back any time. And if you want, you can even celebrate your birthday here and bring all of your friends," the lady tried to cheer Lexi up.

Callum raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? That's allowed?"

"Of course there are certain rules and regulations that have to be followed, but generally it is possible. In fact," she reached behind her and pulled a brochure out of the map stand next to the pay desk, "we host quite a lot of parties. Birthdays, anniversaries, wedding ceremonies."

Callum took the offered brochure and looked at the pictures. Main focus was the garden of course with all its different areas, but here and there people could be seen, celebrating all kinds of milestones in their lives. One picture showed the archway with a bride and groom in front of it.

Ben, who had leaned over to look at the brochure and whose eyes had landed on the couple, too, commented, "I bet the waiting list for that archway is miles long."

He didn't mean anything by it, Callum knew that. And yet, his heart made a weird jump in his chest. But no, even if they were planning to get married any time soon, Ben was right. The chance to book this place came close to zero. And considering that they weren't engaged, why should he be thinking about locations for a non-existing wedding?

"Normally, you're right. The Sleeping Beauty Archway is one of our most sought-after locations for a wedding. But we had a cancellation this morning and there is an opening tomorrow, if you're interested."

Callum's head jerked up. Beside him, Ben was just as startled as he was.

"We're not..."

"I didn't mean...it's not..."

The lady just smiled a secret smile like she knew something that they didn't.

"I didn't want to imply anything. There is an open spot tomorrow is all. If you change your mind, give me a call and we can make it happen," she said, still with that smile, and gave them a card with her contact info.

  
  


*~*~*~*

  
  


Callum sat on the patio that belonged to the rooms they had rented for the duration of their trip and watched the sun getting lower and lower until she was barely visible behind a nearby grove of oak trees.

The walk back had been quiet, all of them lost in their own thoughts. Even Lexi had barely said a word, only looking between Ben and Callum on occasion as if she was contemplating some difficult question.

Callum's head had been filled with the impressions of the day. Still was. Spending the day with Ben and Lexi, the two people he loved the most. He couldn't think of a time he had been happier. And yet, the conversation with that garden employee had stirred something in him. He would be lying if he said he had never thought about marrying Ben. More and more so in the last couple of months. But he didn't want to rush things and pressure Ben into something he wasn't ready for. Why threaten what they had? They were perfectly happy at the moment. Sure, someday Callum wanted to get married. When he was certain that he and Ben were on the same page. Until then, he would just enjoy himself and the life they had built together.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Ben stepped through the door.

"She asleep?"

"Yeah, was out like a light. Didn't even get to finish the story," Ben replied and accepted the bottle of beer from Callum with a smile. He sat down beside him and together they watched the sunset in comfortable silence.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Ben asked after awhile.

Callum chuckled.

"That ain't a good deal for ya. Been thinkin' about nothing really."

"Yeah? Well, I have."

For the life of him, Callum couldn't stop the grin stretching across his face.

"Really? That's a first."

"Oy, cut the cheek, mister." Ben slapped him on the shoulder. "'M trying to be sincere here."

"Sorry," Callum apologised with a smile and took a sip of his beer. "What ya thinkin' about?"

"About what that woman said, actually."

That sobered Callum up quickly and he nearly choked on his beer. Ben wasn't freaking out about that, was he? He always had issues with commitment and letting anyone come close to him, Callum included. That was why he was so careful with rushing him into doing stuff.

They were in a great place now, had been for some time, and Callum didn't think that anything could really mess that up anymore. Until now.

"Ben, she didn't mean anything by it. Don't worry about it," he tried to calm his boyfriend and his nerves at the same time.

"No, I know. That's not what I mean."

Ben was quick to reassure him and laid a hand on his knee. Callum took his hand into his own, holding on to him and waiting for Ben to continue. When he didn't, he asked, "So what did you mean?"

Ben looked at their hands and his thumb stroked gently over Callum's knuckles. He turned slightly, so that his body was angled towards Callum and smiled at him.

"No need to look so worried, babe. Not gonna run for the hills or anythin'."

He took a deep breath and Callum waited with nervous anticipation. What was this about?

"No, what I've been thinkin' about is how much I love you and how lucky I am to have you in my life. And I know I've never made it easy on you and we had a rocky start and god knows there've been rough patches in between. But we got through that together. And you never let me push you away and stayed by my side, even when I've been a colossal idiot. And I didn't plan this, but the more I think about it, it just feels right," Ben stopped in his ramblings and squeezed his hand. "And what I'm really trying to say is this."

And then Ben got on one knee and smiled up at Callum with the most adoring and loving smile and his eyes were brimming with tears and Callum felt his heart racing like he had just run a marathon, because surely this wasn't happening. Ben wasn't about to...

"Callum Highway, will you marry me?"

Silence descended upon them and Callum could do nothing but stare at the man kneeling before him. He felt like he was watching himself from far away, sitting here with his mouth hanging open and his boyfriend in front of him. His boyfriend who had just proposed to him! This must be a dream. A wonderful, magical dream Callum did not want to wake up from. The silence stretched on and Ben shot him a nervous grin.

"This is where you're supposed to say yes. Or no. Whatever you fancy," he joked, but his voice was shaking.

Callum's brain rebooted. With a choked up sob, he fell to his knees before Ben and took his head into his hands.

"Yes! Of course, I'll marry you! A thousand times yes!" he cried as tears were streaming down his face.

Ben's face lit up like the sun, all traces of worries gone in an instant.

"Yeah?" he whispered through his own tears.

"Yeah!" Callum repeated and pressed their foreheads together. "I'll marry you in a heartbeat."

  
  


*~*~*~*

  
  


With shaking hands and a beating heart Callum stood there and stared at the man standing before him. This. This was where it all came together. From the first moment they had seen each other in The Vic to Ben getting down on his knee the night before. To this where they stood in front of each other and waited to walk down the aisle – or bridge in their case. It all felt like a dream. Unreal. Too good to be true. And yet, here they were. Seconds away from taking the final step. From starting the rest of their lives together. His head was spinning, he felt so happy, and he couldn't stop smiling.

Lexi mirrored what he felt inside as she bounced in excitement, her new dress she and Callum had bought this morning while Ben had sorted everything out with the registry office fluttered around her.

Every now and then, she squealed and giggled, unable to contain her unbridled joy.

"It's like in a fairytale," she told them. "Only there's no princess and the prince is marrying a prince from the other kingdom. And they love each other so much and never want to be apart and so they go to a magical old fortress. And there lives a fairy godmother and she is marrying them and they live happily ever after."

She babbled on and on, dancing around them and nearly losing the flower petals she had insisted on carrying in a small wicker basket so she could throw them after the ceremony.

Ben smiled brightly at his daughter before turning around to Callum.

"You ready?" he whispered while taking his hand and entwining their fingers.

"Never been more ready for anything in my life."

As if on cue, a record of a violin started to play. Callum didn't recognise the tune but he would carry it in his heart for the rest of his life.

"Well then, here goes nothing," Ben said and pressed a soft kiss to Callum's cheek.

Together, they stepped onto the bridge. Callum thought that he should be nervous, he should be thinking about a million things that could go wrong, he should be sweating and getting short of breath. But no. His heartbeat slowed down, his breathing evened out and something deep inside him settled. He was getting married. To the love of his life. With his soon-to-be stepdaughter by their side.

It felt like the most natural thing he had ever done in his life.

The walk over the bridge and to the archway seemed endless and was over in the blink of an eye at the same time. Although they had been here not even twenty-four hours before, everything seemed more radiant to Callum. The flowers were richer in colour, the sky was a deeper blue and the sun sent bright rays of sunshine down to earth, causing the water to sparkle as if sprinkled with diamonds. The roses and tendrils of ivy that climbed up the archway were a perfect mix of green, white and soft pink. Callum's heart felt like it might burst with happiness and love. Ben beside him caught his eye and, smiling at each other, Callum could read in his face that he felt the same.

The woman from the registry office greeted them with a smile as they finally came to a halt in front of the archway. To her left stood the woman from the garden, who they had talked to the day before, and a wrinkly old man with a cane, who had been a gardener here once. Both of them had been happy to stand up as their witnesses for the wedding as Callum and Ben had realised only half an hour before the ceremony was set to start that none of their friends and family were here to do the honours.

"Good Afternoon and welcome to the marriage of Ben Mitchell and Callum Highway," the registrar began and Callum tightened his grip on Ben's hand.

"This place in which we are now met has been duly sanctioned according to law for the celebration of marriage. This ceremony will unite Ben and Callum in marriage. We are here to celebrate their union and to honour their commitment to each other. Today they both will proclaim their love for one another. We celebrate with them and for them. If any person present knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage they should declare it now."

Callum knew for a fact that Ben had a joke on his lips, seeing that there was basically no one here who could raise any form of objection. And if he was honest, he was a little impressed that his future husband kept it to himself. Ben wasn’t really known for his restraint. Quite the opposite in fact.

The registrar didn't know any of this of course and went on.

"Marriage joins two people in the circle of its love. It is a commitment to life, the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for learning and growth that no other opportunity can equal. It is both a physical and emotional joining that is promised for a lifetime. Happiness is fuller, memories are fresher and commitment is deeper. Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes that life is unable to avoid. When two people pledge their love and care for each other within a marriage they create a spirit which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise written in the hearts of two people who love each other and it takes a lifetime to fulfil."

Not even halfway through her speech, Callum had trouble keeping his tears at bay. Ben, whose eyes were brimming with tears as well, squeezed his hand he held in a tight grip.

"The purpose of marriage is that you always love, care for and support each other through both the joys and sorrows of life. Today you will exchange vows of marriage which will unite you as husband and husband. These vows are a promise of a lifelong commitment."

Up until now, a part of Callum had expected this to be all a dream from which he would wake up at any moment. As he listened to the registrar's words it truly sank in that this was really happening. He was marrying Ben!

"Before you are both joined together in marriage it is my duty to remind you of the solemn and binding character of the vows you are about to make. Marriage in this country is the union of two people, voluntarily entered into for life to the exclusion of all others."

She looked at them expectantly and Callum, still fighting to be not overwhelmed by his own feelings, realised with cold dread that this was the moment for their personal wedding vows. He had completely forgotten about that.

Ben sent him a cheeky grin as if he knew exactly what was racing through Callum’s mind.

"Guess I’ll start then, huh?" he said and took a deep breath before focusing all his attention on Callum.

"'m not even tryin' to list all the ways you've made my life better. Made _me_ better. I was so broken when we met. Had been for a long time. And I don't want to imagine where I would be now if it weren't for you. If you hadn't been this amazing, loving and caring man that you are. You always saw me for who I am and never wanted me to be different or pretend to be someone I'm not. And I know that you've always been a better man than me and could've had anyone you wanted. But for some reason you chose me and no matter how stupid I've been, you didn’t turn away from me. I know I've hurt you a lot and that I've been selfish at times and didn't think enough about what you wanted and what you needed. And I'll never forgive myself for that. But whatever I did, it was never because I didn't love you. Because I do. So much. I have been on my own for a long time and if I didn't look out for myself, no one would. That's what I thought until you came along. You showed me what it felt like to have unconditional love and support in my life and that bein' kind is not necessarily a weakness. With your kindness and support and love you made me so much stronger. Stronger than I've ever been. And I never want to go through a day in my life where you aren't by my side."

Callum gave up on fighting his tears and sobbed openly as Ben had to take a deep breath before he got his emotions under control and could continue.

"I can't promise you a perfect life where everythin' is smooth sailing. I can't promise you that there won't be problems and fights. I can't promise you that I'll never hurt you again. I know myself enough to know that there will be times where I screw up. But I can promise you that I'll do everything I can to make you happy and be the best husband to you that I can be. I promise I'll take care of you when you're sick. I promise I'll pretend to like your taste in music. I promise that whatever happens, I'll be by your side. I promise you the best life I can give you. And I promise I'll love you every second of every day for the rest of my life."

Ben had barely finished when Callum couldn't take any more. He grabbed Ben and pulled him into a passionate, slightly messy kiss. They were both crying and laughing and out of breath and Callum's vision was blurry from the tears streaming down his face.

The registrar burst their little bubble of happiness with a chuckle.

"Now, now, gentlemen. Not yet. We still have some things to go through."

"Right, sorry," Callum mumbled and put a little distance between him and Ben. Not too much, though.

Ben, who knew him better than anyone by now and knew that Callum was bad at improvising, smiled at him.

"You don't have to say something. I know how you feel, babe."

Callum shook his head.

"No, I want to. Just give me a second."

He took a deep breath, looked at Ben. At his kind and smiling face. Looked at Lexi, who was beaming at him and rocking on her heels, unable to stay still. And just like that he knew what he wanted to say. Focusing his gaze on Ben again, he began.

"I've been so lonely nearly all my life. I was so used to hiding who I am and pretendin' to be different. It just seemed normal to feel like that. To be like that. And then I met you and suddenly I realised how empty my life was. How it dragged me down, bein' lonely all the time. I hadn't lived until you came into my life. Not really. You gave me so much, Ben. Without asking anything in return. Because of you I like myself. I like who I am. I finally know what it's like to love someone and be loved. To have a family. You and Lexi are the most important people in the world to me and I'll cherish having you in my life until the day I die. I know how hard it was for you, letting me come close to you. I won't lie and say it was easy. Because it wasn't. You're a very stubborn man, Ben Mitchell, and to crack that armour you'd built around your heart took a lot of work."

Ben laughed at that, blinking tears from his eyes.

"But it was worth it. Pam was right, you know, you've the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. And not for one second do I regret falling in love with you. Not ever. Even during the bad times I never regretted meeting you, loving you. You complete me. You make me whole. And whenever you need me, I'll be there. I'll love you and support you and take care of you and stand by your side no matter what. You're the love of my life. In this life and the next."

Silent tears ran down Ben's face when Callum ended his impromptu vow. Touching their foreheads together, they just breathed until the registrar continued.

She cleared her throat and Callum had the impression that she was a bit teary-eyed herself.

"I am now going to ask you each in turn to declare that you know of no legal reason why you may not be joined together in marriage."

"I do solemnly declare – that I know not – of any lawful impediment – why I Callum Higway may not be joined in marriage to Ben Mitchell," Callum dutifully repeated after Ben had declared the same.

"I ask you now; Ben Mitchell, do you take Callum Highway to be your lawful wedded husband, to be loving, faithful and loyal to him for the rest of your life together?"

"I do," Ben said full of pride, his eyes never leaving Callum.

"Callum Highway, do you take Ben Mitchell to be your lawful wedded husband, to be loving, faithful and loyal to him for the rest of your life together?"

"I do," Callum replied and felt the promise take hold of him, fill his body and become an integral part of who he was and of who he would be.

"Can I give them the rings now?" Lexi piped up and held the box with the diamond encrusted white-gold rings out to them.

"Not yet," the lady from the garden told her and laid a hand on Lexi’s shoulder. "First, your parents have to make the formal vows of marriage."

Callum's heart skipped a beat as he heard that. Her parents. That's what he was now, wasn't it? Lexi's stepfather. He was so excited about that prospect that he nearly missed the next part of the ceremony.

"I call upon – these persons here present – to witness that I, Ben Mitchell, take you, Callum Highway, to be my lawful wedded husband – to love and to cherish – from this day forward."

Callum wasted no time to declare the same and nearly stumbled over his words in his haste to finally be married to Ben.

"Now the rings," the registrar said and nodded at Lexi.

Lexi bounced forward.

"Your ring, Daddy!"

"Thank you, princess," Ben said and kissed her on the head.

He took the ring out of the box and Callum held out his hand, his heart suddenly beating loud and fast in his chest.

Ben took his hand.

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. All that I am I give to you, all that I have I share with you."

The ring slipped onto Callum's finger like it had always been there and had just waited to return to its rightful place.

Callum took the other ring from Lexi with a smile.

"With this ring I promise to love you and to be faithful and loyal. In good times and bad may this ring always remind you of that."

He put the ring on Ben's finger with his own hands shaking so much he nearly dropped it.

"It now gives me great pleasure to tell you both that you are now legally married!" the registrar called out into the garden.

Under the cheers of their witnesses and Lexi’s cries of joy Ben and Callum shared their first kiss as husbands.

"I love you," they whispered with beaming smiles into the space between them, their words only meant for the other one to hear.

"Forever."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> A few quick notes:
> 
> The garden in the story is completely made up, although it’s possible that a place like it might exist somewhere.
> 
> I know absolutely nothing of how wedding ceremonies in the UK work. Luckily, I found the Haringey Council website. They have a detailed description of weddings in a registry office and what has to be included in them.  
> Basically everything the registrar in my story said and a small part of what Ben and Callum said is from a wedding script on their website called ‘The Alexandra’.
> 
> EDIT: biowlmeowing drew wonderful artwork for this, go check it out!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Art] I Promise You Forever](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23891572) by [biowlmeowing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/biowlmeowing/pseuds/biowlmeowing)




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